The Summer of My Life
by small-fish.big-pond
Summary: Bella Swan. Aspiring playwright. Incoming senior in high school. In need of a summer internship. Gets one at none other than Oregon Health and Sciences University, the big-wig medical school in the west hills of Portland, Oregon. This is the story of her summer. Her journey. And the discovery of something she never expected.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Standard disclaimers apply; I don't own any of Stephanie Meyer's work and doing this completely for my own personal satisfaction. I don't know whom I expect to read this story. The characters hardly have anything in common with their counterparts in the Twilight universe…and the story will not have anything to do with Edward. In point of fact I'm doing nothing but highjacking the names of these characters to tell my own story, one that's inside of me and has desperately been trying to get out. If you're interested in good stories, good writing, good characters, then this story will have them. You've been forewarned, but if you're still interested in reading then by all means continue on…because our story starts on a particular day at the end of August in the city of Portland, Oregon, right…about…now…**

I looked behind me one last time as I went through the door, "It's been a great summer." As soon as I turned away the smile fell from my face and I berated myself, _stupid, stupid, stupid_. Walking down the dim hallway I consoled myself that this wasn't going to be the last time I saw him…or any of them; there was always the play in the fall, the cabin over winter break, and if all else failed next summer…but I knew that it would never be the same.

There would be no more rushes of discovery and camaraderie natural as breathing. Even the past few weeks had been odd with Jake gone. I also knew that even though I would think most of Dr. Cullen, Angela, Mike, and Alice I'd also miss everyone else, Jasper and Emmett, Dr. Jenks, Satine…even Matt and Tia.

And as for _him_ well…that went without saying.

I tapped the knuckles of my right hand against the wall of the hallway as I turned the corner and came to the elevators. I remembered all the times I had stood here waiting with others…Dr. Cullen slightly frazzled, eyes darting around as if trying to spot something she'd forgotten…Jake in his sunglasses popping and locking, doing a silly dance move…laughing with Mike after some ridiculous anecdote from northern Alaska…Alice as she tapped her foot and flashed me a cheeky smile…and then he would be…

_Enough_. I'd already made the resolution to avoid brooding at all possible costs. It simply wasn't _me_, I'd never do something like that. I prided myself on my maturity, awareness, intelligence…my complete lack of teenage self-pity. The elevator _pinged_ and I stepped inside, a sigh escaped me unbidden as I began the journey downwards. But I still smiled as I went through the catalogue of memories in my head that this summer had given me.

Because they were all made up of smiles themselves, and I couldn't help but smile back.

The elevator opened onto the ground floor and I walked past the reception desk and waiting area, out the automatic doors of the Oregon Health and Sciences University's School of Dentistry building. I stepped outside and took a deep breath.

It was funny how hard it was to remember how I felt that first day four months ago, walking side by side with my father, convinced this was the most foolish thing my parents had ever thought of…yet at the same time feeling extremely lucky, and hopeful for the fulfillment of a wish that I myself hadn't known I'd consciously made…


	2. Chapter 2

When you were young was there a time of day or a certain location that you always dreaded being around your parents? Because you knew that whenever that time came around or whenever you were in that place that's when your parents chose to spring things on you without fail? Whether it be accusations, pointed questions, or just plain annoying statements that seem to be the straw that breaks the camel's back? For Charlie, that place was always the car.

Far be it from me to question the methods or madness of my parents, I'd always respected and loved them. Sure we'd had our ups and downs and I was an only child so their sole attention seemed always to be focused on me, but this was a pet peeve I'd had my whole life. If Renee was ever in the car I was never worried. It was only when Charlie and I were alone that he ever pounced on me. The afternoon that changed the course of my life as I knew it was no exception.

"Bella?" My dad asked as nonchalantly as possible.

I inwardly cringed, "Yes?"

"Has mom ever told you about Dr. Cullen?"

"Dr. Cullen?" I asked with trepidation.

"She calls her Dr. Esme," he prompted.

"Oh, yeah I've heard her talk about her a couple times."

Renee was a hair stylist. Before I was born my parents had owned a salon called "New Moon," it was hippy as all get out but that was just the kind of person Renee was. She'd had a lot of customers and up to five employees at a time. My dad was a lawyer in a respectable law firm at the time but he took time to help run the salon too. My parents were both old when they had me, Renee was forty and my dad was thirty-seven. Renee jokes that that's why they'll never get a divorce, they were too old and used to each other by the time I was born.

Renee was free-spirited and loved life and even I considered her appearance youthful for her age. Charlie was the one that acted and looked older, he had the appearance of a stodgy forty-something when he turned thirty and he would look that way for the rest of his life, that was just the kind of person _he _was. My parents were polar opposites, at parties Renee would light up the room and Charlie would fade into the wallpaper, she loved travel and new experiences and he was content to sit at home with a book.

Most of my friends who met my parents assumed that Charlie was the strict one and that Renee was the fun one. They made the mistake of underestimating Renee's intelligence and overlooking everything about Charlie except for his serious demeanor. But underneath it all my parents were the perfect match. They seemed to operate on a plane above everyone else, always in synch, always in harmony. This made them at the same time slightly offbeat, which I suppose was where I got my oddness. But don't get me wrong, together we were a tight-knit triumvirate, a perfect unit.

Anyway, when I was five years old Renee closed up the salon and we converted our laundry room into a single client station and Renee cut hair from home. A couple years later my grandma got sick with cancer and stayed at our house for a few months, my dad saw it as a good time to semi-retire from his law firm and work from home. Unsurprisingly, this just gave my parents more time to think, worry, and fret over their favorite thing in the whole wide world: me.

Because Renee had her customers come to our house I heard them talking and laughing periodically while they got their appointments. Renee was also on the phone a substantial amount of the time, as she scheduled her own appointments. I'd heard the name "Dr. Esme" thrown around several times through the years. I hadn't known her last name was Cullen until today, Renee had nicknames like that for people sometimes.

"Well," Charlie said, "Dr. Cullen is interested in having you be an intern in lab this summer."

"Her _lab_?"

"Yeah, up at OHSU, you'd be up there in the dental school building, but your job wouldn't involve anything like that, she runs an integrative bioscience lab on the top floor."

"And I'd be working there…with researchers?"

"I assume so, I'm a little fuzzy on the details," Charlie responded happily (he'd been a chemistry major himself in undergraduate school).

"Why would she want me as intern? I'm terrible at science, I got B's the last two semesters of physics. Does she know I have absolutely no experience or knowledge in this area?"

"She wants you because of your communication skills, she told mom that she's tired of hiring summer interns that are little robots that only memorize things from their high school science courses. You're a writer Bella, you're unique and Dr. Cullen recognizes that. Besides, as a high school student you're working on an equal playing field with all perspective interns, none of them have had real practical lab experience; anyone they hired would have to learn from scratch. This would be a great opportunity for you," he finished with a flourish.

"Sounds like a great idea," I muttered as I looked out the window.

"What was that?"

"Has mom already said yes? Do I have to do this?" I complained.

"No, but don't be close-minded about this, wait until you meet Dr. Cullen and talk to her before you make a snap decision," Charlie said sharply.

"Fine," I muttered.

We drove the rest of the way home in a tense silence. When I got out of the car I shut the door with a little more force than necessary and hurried through the drizzle and in the front door. Renee was sitting at the kitchen table sowing a shirt.

"How was your day?" she asked cheerfully.

"Fine," I said curtly, already heading for the stairs to go up to my room.

"Did daddy tell you about Dr. Esme?" She called after me.

"Yep," I called back, going into my room and shutting the door firmly.

I thought of the ridiculous offer that Charlie had left me with. Yes, I was mature, I was smart, I was well attuned with my feelings and felt confident going into any work environment. But a lab? What could I possible have to offer? I would be more of a hindrance than a help, I reasoned to myself. And what possible benefit could this have on my college applications? I was going to be a senior next fall, it was the middle of April my junior year. Whatever I did this summer was supposed to count, to showcase my talents and get me some practical work experience.

_This is practical_, a voice in my head responded snidely, _science is about as practical as it gets_. I groaned and flopped backwards on my bed. What could be worse than spending the summer cramped up in a stupid, dumb, boring, stuffy _lab_?


End file.
